Childminder in Trafford

Inspection report for early years provision

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Unique reference number 318276 Inspection date 09/03/2011 Inspector Mary Kilroy

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Type of setting Childminder to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of the registered early years provision. ‘Early years provision’ refers to provision regulated by Ofsted for children from birth to 31 August following their fifth birthday (the early years age group). The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and welfare, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Introduction

The provider must provide a copy of this report to all parents with children at the setting where reasonably practicable. The provider must provide a copy of the report to any other person who asks for one, but may charge a fee for this service (The Childcare (Inspection) Regulations 2008 regulations 9 and 10).

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Introduction

The setting also makes provision for children older than the early years age group which is registered on the voluntary and/or compulsory part(s) of the Childcare Register. This report does not include an evaluation of that provision, but a comment about compliance with the requirements of the Childcare Register is included in Annex B.

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Introduction

Please see our website for more information about each childcare provider. We publish inspection reports, conditions of registration and details of complaints we receive where we or the provider take action to meet the requirements of registration. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Description of the childminding

The childminder was registered in 1987. She lives with her husband and two adult children in Flixton, Trafford, Greater Manchester. The lounge, dedicated playroom and conservatory on the ground floor and the bathroom on the first floor of the home are used for childminding purposes. There is a fully enclosed rear garden available for outdoor play.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder is registered to care for a maximum of six children at any one time and is currently caring for eight children, six of whom are in the early years age range. Children attend for a variety of sessions. The childminder is registered on the Early Years Register and on the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register.

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Description of the childminding

The childminder attends local carer and toddler groups and takes children to and collects them from a local school. She is a member of the National Childminding Association and has a National Vocational Qualification Level 3 in childcare, learning and development.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Overall the quality of the provision is outstanding.

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The overall effectiveness of the early years provision

Children enjoy stimulating age-appropriate activities in a warm, safe and extremely happy environment where their welfare is exceptionally well promoted. The childminder develops outstanding relationships and partnerships with parents and other providers to ensure the uniqueness of every child is recognised and celebrated. This ensures all children make excellent progress. She promotes children's welfare and learning in an inspiring and challenging way within a stimulating environment. Parents praise her excellent skills, as she makes children feel safe and confident and are happy with the system of reward charts, which they feel really motivates children to achieve. The setting demonstrates a great capacity for continuous improvement and self-evaluation is rigorous in most aspects.

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further?

To further improve the high quality early years provision the registered person should consider:

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further?

 developing further procedures to monitor and evaluate the provision This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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the early years provision

The childminder has an excellent knowledge of safeguarding procedures. She demonstrates her awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse exceptionally well. Her home is safe, motivating and extremely well organised. She offers children superb support and exceptional opportunities to be independent and enjoy exhilarating adult-led and child-initiated activities.

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the early years provision

She is very committed, enthusiastic and continually strives to improve the excellent service she provides through training. She uses her increased skills and knowledge to superb effect in her self evaluation and improvement of the provision. She has concise written policies and procedures, which she shares with parents. This helps develop exceptional working relationships with them and a strong shared understanding from an early stage, which offers children a consistent experience. Parents see children's increasing independence and willingness to achieve due to the individual attention each child receives. Parents are kept well informed and provided with comprehensive and extensive daily information of children's progress. For example, through the daily book and individual records that parents can access at any time and contribute to. There is verbal feedback and photographs, to capture children's unique or 'Wow' moments and progress. These

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the early years provision

measures promote children's growing confidence and self-esteem.

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the early years provision

Parents praise highly every aspect of the childminder's care and they have no suggestions for improvement. They particularly praise how well the uniqueness of each child is recognised and planned for. They also note the childminder's skill at settling children in, building their confidence and helping them feel safe and extremely happy. They say children are stimulated and highly motivated by the range of toys, activities and outings provided and the frequency with which these are rotated and changed. The childminder establishes highly effective working relationships with other providers of the Early Years Foundation Stage and ensures she complements what they offer.

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the early years provision

The childminder has an excellent range of resources to help children explore and investigate. They wear wellington boots and all weather suits to enable them to play outside and take advantage of naturally occurring events, such as snow. The large playhouse and soft surface ensures that activities can be moved outside and children thoroughly enjoy parties and picnics, both outdoors and inside. The childminder implements a highly effective self-evaluation process to help monitor the service she provides. Self-evaluation demonstrates rigorous monitoring and searching analysis of what the childminder does well and identifies any areas for development. Parents and children are highly involved in the evaluation of the service. The childminder is enthusiastic and highly-motivated to constantly improve outcomes for children. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has an exceptional understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage and each activity successfully links to it. Parent's and children's views are incorporated into her observations to provide consistency and good opportunities for children to practise their skills and interests.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder provides a secure and highly stimulating environment where children feel very safe and confidently access toys to add to and extend their play. She initiates problem solving and thinking as she makes suggestions and gives exceptional opportunities to explore and experiment. For example, she encourages them to listen as well as look, when outside and lets them help with risk assessments. Children are given responsibility within safe boundaries as they reach secondary school age. They are able to walk on ahead and know to stop at the next lamp post. They learn to use the bus, to identify risks in the environment and find safe places to cross the road. They help the childminder identify hazards in playgrounds. Young children benefit from a buddying system, where they walk with older children and the eldest children walk on the outside of the group.

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and outcomes for children

Children enjoy excellent first hand experiences to help them learn about the natural and wider worlds. The childminder is adept at planning activities that enable them to use all their senses. Children observe the changes of use in local buildings and the environment. They learn good skills for the future in an enabling environment where they are given responsibility and make excellent choices and have input to formulating rules. They willingly help with small household tasks. They skilfully use ICT and programmable toys and use scanners and weigh fruit in the supermarket. They are adept at using self check-outs in the library and supermarket and pay fares on the bus or metrolink. They 'remind' the childminder where items are kept in local shops. The childminder makes all learning exhilarating and fun as children learn numbers from chalking hopscotch outside and enjoy number games. She has a soft safety surface with numbers on it in the

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and outcomes for children

outdoor play area .Children have opportunities to learn simple budgeting skills as the childminder lets them save for items, such as a range of pocket puppy toys that they request. She carefully explains why they cannot buy the whole range at once and need to save for the rest. Older children queue for items in shops, which they pay for themselves, learn good manners, take turns and budget. They post letters and order books.

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and outcomes for children

Children are imaginative and highly creative. They write informative letters and draw vibrant colourful pictures about the setting they love to come to and praise so highly. They describe activities they enjoy, such as stimulating arts and crafts. Young children have good tactile experiences as they access lots of natural materials. They all particularly enjoy a small world activity set out on the playroom floor and animatedly write or talk about their favourite characters, the ice cream man or the mayor. A young child links this character to a photograph of a Lord Mayor that the childminder has on her wall and is learning about the role of mayor. Children happily chat to adults and a child enjoys recalling their third birthday party last week and the brown cake that was enjoyed so much. A lovely This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 observation in their file shows this time last year, when the child blew out the two

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and outcomes for children

candles on the cake and said 'Happy Christmas!'

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and outcomes for children

Children remain healthy as they have a balanced variety of home cooked foods. They enjoy fruit and vegetables and learn about 'five-a-day' and strategies to remain healthy. Children learn to minimise the spread of infection and have excellent care routines. They understand why they need to do things, such as hand washing. They have a rhyme to get the germs off, 'Wishy washy both sides' with the childminder prompting them to clean both sides and rinse.

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and outcomes for children

The childminder has built excellent partnerships with parents. They say they feel 'So lucky that our child is so settled and happy with the childminder and really loves going there and talks so very positively about the time with her and the other children'. Children say she 'always listens to me and helps me when I need her'. Children talk about the jokes they enjoy together. 'Also she makes me laugh, she has lots to do, you never get bored, and everyone hates to go home because we love it here'. When asked, children state that they feel that nothing needs to be changed in the provision as they are very happy there. This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

The key inspection judgements and what they mean

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Annex A: record of inspection judgements

Grade 1 is Outstanding: this aspect of the provision is of exceptionally high quality Grade 2 is Good: this aspect of the provision is strong Grade 3 is Satisfactory: this aspect of the provision is sound Grade 4 is Inadequate: this aspect of the provision is not good enough

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children in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

The capacity of the provision to maintain continuous improvement

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the setting deploys resources 1 The effectiveness with which the setting promotes equality and diversity The effectiveness of safeguarding 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s self-evaluation, including the steps taken to promote improvement The effectiveness of partnerships 1 The effectiveness of the setting’s engagement with parents and carers

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Stage

The quality of the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 1

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Stage

The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning 1 The extent to which children feel safe 1 The extent to which children adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which children make a positive contribution 1 The extent to which children develop skills for the future 1

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Stage

procedures set out in the guidance available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk This inspection was carried out under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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Annex B: the Childcare Register

The provider confirms that the requirements of the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are: Met

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